EU Likely To Demand More Google Antitrust Concessions

The European Commission (EC) is likely to demand that Google make more concessions to antitrust investigators if it is to avoid a fine for a possible abuse of a dominant position in the web search and advertising markets.

Google submitted a host of concessions to the EC last month but EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia has said that it will “probably” ask the search giant to improve its proposals once it has received the feedback from the company’s rivals, including Microsoft, who have submitted complaints.

Google EU antitrust

The EC is concerned Google is unfairly promoting its own specialised search services, such as Google Shopping, over its rivals and whether it is taking material from websites of competitors, such as user reviews, without permission.

The Commission is also investigating whether Google requires third-party sites to advertise its search services over others and to ascertain how far it is locking customers into its AdWords service by allegedly preventing firms from using rival advertising platforms.

Both the EC and Google are believed to be keen to compromise in order to avoid a lengthy legal battle and the possibility of multi-billion dollar fines.

Google’s concessions include proposals to clearly label its own services to differentiate them from normal search results and offering website owners the offer to opt out of specialised services, including Google News.

The company will also agree not to include obligations requiring customers not to use rival advertising platforms. However, its concessions have not been universally welcomed by consumer groups.

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